| And
he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might
send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to
cast out devils. Mk3:14-15 In Mark's gospel there is a close connection between healing sicknesses and casting out devils or unclean spirits. For Mark I think it is true to say that all diseases have their origin in the spirit. Whether it is leprosy, a man with legion, or a withered hand, the root cause of the illness lies in the spirit. Behind cancer is a spirit of cancer. Behind diabetes is a spirit of diabetes. Behind lupus is a spirit of lupus. To heal those diseases requires us to curse the spirit that caused the physical illness to manifest itself. We get an indication that this is true because Mark implies that all miracles have their origin in the spirit too. Jesus has fed five thousand with five loaves and two fishes and he has walked on water in the midst of a tumultuous storm and Mark makes the statement: "For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened."(Mk6:52) What hardened their hearts was the fact that they could not consider Jesus to be the source of all creation, God, who spoke the universe into being by his Spirit and the word, who has authority over all of nature. What allowed him to multiply bread and fishes and walk on water was the Spirit living inside him, the word which he spoke, and the person that he was, namely, the son of God. This same Spirit, this same power, this same authority, this same word he had given to the disciples but their heart was hardened. They could not believe the full revelation of who he was. This same hardening of heart was also the problem of the Pharisees. They, too, would not believe that Jesus was the Christ, the son of God. Now the same authority that he gave to the disciples is the same authority he gives to us. We have to "build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost."(Jude20) We have to “strengthen ourselves with might by his Spirit in the inner man." (Eph3:16) We do this by applying the three-fold ministry of Jesus to our soul. That three-fold ministry is preaching, teaching, and healing. By preaching we apply the spirit to our will, what we desire and what we love. Preaching requires of us that we make a choice, a decision for Christ. By teaching we apply the truths of scripture to our intellect, what we know. "Consecrate them in the truth. Thy word is truth." (Jn17:17) By healing, we apply the spirit to our emotions, to what we feel and express. Fear gives way to faith. Anxiety gives way to calmness or peace. Unforgiveness gives way to love. By building ourselves up in our soul we begin to live and walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh and we exercise the authority God has given us to deal with principalities and powers, unclean spirits and diseases which traumatize the body of Christ. The more we read the scriptures, the more we pray the scriptures, the more we live and move and have our being in the Spirit, the more success we will have to deal with sicknesses and unclean spirits. In praying and taking authority over sickness and disease sometimes we are not successful. This lack of success may not have anything to do with our faith but with the system of belief for the one for whom we are praying. Some people have a simple faith and can believe for their healing very easily. For others healing requires that we deal with the religious spirit "which has a form of godliness but denies the power thereof: of such turn away."(2Tim3:5) Some have sown bad seed in their spirit. Words have developed into a belief system which will not allow them to believe in the Christ for salvation, healing, prosperity, and deliverance. Jesus in dealing with the religious rulers had to deal with "the fig less fruit tree": people having a form of godliness but impotent to the things of the Spirit. If religion is not grounded in faith but in the law, it produces people having a form of godliness but no power. Religion grounded in the Spirit and faith produces both: miracles and healings, salvation and prosperity. Many of us have grown up with legalism. We have grown up with believing a lie which has to be cursed from the root. In order for us to be useful for God we must be born again but we also must crucify the old man and put on Jesus Christ. St. Paul was steeped in legalism and religion. He had to rethink and receive by revelation the gospel of Jesus Christ and he was crucified with Christ. (Gal2:20) We must "study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."(2Tim2:15) We must put ourselves under anointed preaching, teaching, and healing ministries to develop the Spirit man. If and as we do this, we will bear fruit, 30, 60 and 100 fold. All of creation proceeded from the word and the Spirit. If we develop the word and the Spirit within us, we too will do what Jesus did and do greater works than him. (John14:12) This is the message of Mark’s gospel. This is the message of Jesus. Amen |